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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490831">...And into the Fryer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rowan_Sprawls/pseuds/Rowan_Sprawls'>Rowan_Sprawls</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gravity Falls</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Greasy's Diner (Gravity Falls), Post-Canon, there's another guy here too but don't worry about him.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:40:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,350</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490831</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rowan_Sprawls/pseuds/Rowan_Sprawls</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A lot has happened since Weirdmageddon, and it all left Pacifica with a less luxurious lifestyle and a lot of time to think. It's another lonely shift at Greasy's Diner for her until she gets a surprise visit from her two favorite people.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pacifica Northwest &amp; Dipper Pines &amp; Mabel Pines</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>...And into the Fryer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>No opulent dinner parties. No mingling or jiggling. Not even the rush of frazzled servants. On week nights, the night shift at Greasy's Diner was always slow. With no customers coming or going, the only sound that filled that empty sideways log was the gentle buzz of the faulty wiring. This sound was, at regular intervals, accompanied by the soft 'tink' of a moth bouncing off one of the diner's big round lights. There was always at least one moth, and as many as five depending on the hour. Far from the greasy hissing and bumpkin conversation of the diner's day-to-day, the night shift took on the musical quality that only the most ill-maintained and lightly occupied places have. </p><p>Pacifica had learned to appreciate the diner on that level. On other levels, of course, it disgusted her. In fact, the sheer contrast between it and the life she grew up with created a dissonance in her mind that made her nauseous almost as often as the food did. Despite this, there was a charm. It was also as private as a 24-hour restaurant could be, so that was another point in its favor. Granted, there was a night cook who worked alongside Pacifica, but he didn’t really count. </p><p>“Ron, did you remember to put those chicken chunks back in the freezer?” asked Pacifica.</p><p>Ron gurgled gently, his subtly crossed eyes gazing outward into nothing. </p><p>“Okay, thank you,” said Pacifica</p><p>“Welcome,” said Ron, his statuesque stillness undisturbed by this unnatural vocalization.</p><p>Pacifica had learned to appreciate Ron on some level as well. What level that was, she couldn’t say.</p><p>Tonight was shaping up to be a fairly standard Wednesday shift. Pacifica was moving the spare French fry drippings to the walk-in freezer so the day shift could reheat them in the morning. She had gotten in trouble last week for incorrectly labeling these and causing the morning cook to ruin a pancake platter, so she was being extra careful this time around. That is, until some familiar voices made their way into the restaurant. </p><p>"Gravity Falls, it is good to be back!"</p><p>A crashing sound rang through the freezer as Pacifica flailed around in a blind panic.</p><p>"...I still can't believe you talked me into this."<br/>
"C'mon, Dipper. It's only like two and half miles from our bus stop, tops! We're back in Gravity Falls, bro-bro! We have to acclimate ourselves to the local flavor."</p><p>"The 'local flavor' isn't something you want in your stomach when you're trying to sleep, Mabel."</p><p>Pacifica rubbed her head and cursed. Thankfully the freezer muffled the sound enough to hide it from the rest of the restaurant. Pacifica looked around. The 'viscous food liquids' shelf was nearly horizontal. What spilled? Nothing they would miss in the morning. Good. She tried to prop the shelf back up. Then she failed. Then she fell. Then she cursed again, but louder.</p><p>"And you still agreed to it! Maybe deep down you like slippery night-poops as much as I do."</p><p>"That's gross, and I don't."</p><p>"Pfft, whatever you say. Hello! Can we get some service here? I need a heart attack, asap!"</p><p>Pacifica pressed herself against the freezer wall. She was obscured by the open door. She had her hair in her fists. The Twins are here. She is also here. She is also visible. She is also needed out front to do her job.</p><p>"Mabel, don't be rude. Um, yes, excuse me? Can you take our order?"</p><p>Ron gazed generally at the space above Dipper and Mabel's heads.</p><p>"It is no. That is waitress job," said Ron with an inflection that betrayed his unfamiliarity with the act of forming words.</p><p>"Uh huh. And the waitress is...?"</p><p>"Backwise is."</p><p>"Got it."</p><p>What options are available? Pacifica could think of two. Option One: Obscure her face with her hair and a paper hat while putting on a fake voice. Option Two: Feign her own non-existence. Option Two was ideal, if not for Ron. Each word Ron managed to assemble brought him closer to outing her. If she didn’t hurry, Ron might even use her name. Option One would have to do.</p><p>"Hi, sorry about that! There was a little accident in the back. It’s no problem though, welcome to Greasy's Diner! What can I get you?" said the lower half of Pacfica's face in an inconsistent falsetto.<br/>
"Yeah I'll have one bacon-cheese-fry-burger-mountain," said Mabel. "Oh! And a chocolate milkshake!"</p><p>"I'll just have an apple pie square," said Dipper.</p><p>"Ok, one bacon-cheese-fry-burger-mountain with a chocolate shake and one schtapple pie square," said Pacifica in a new accent. Maybe Dutch? It was hard to tell.</p><p>"wait, 'schtapple pie?'" asked Dipper</p><p>"Yes. schtapple. The inspector said we can't call it an apple pie anymore since it's just the seeds," said Pacifica in a slightly different accent this time. </p><p>"I guess that makes... hold on. Do I know you? Looks like you forgot your name tag," said Dipper.</p><p>"No! I mean, I don't think so."</p><p>Pacifica had hidden her name tag in the deep fryer before stepping out.</p><p>"Hmm. Mind if I?" Dipper leaned in and gingerly moved some hair out of her face. </p><p>Pacifica's breathing stopped. She was a deer in headlights. Several of her feral instincts fought over which one would decide the next course of action. By the time they came anywhere close to a decision, it was already too late.</p><p>"Oh. I guess not."</p><p>Pacifica did her best to hide a sigh of relief. She took a moment to regain her composure. Dipper furrowed his brow and looked away, clearly reconsidering a few choices he just made.</p><p>"My mistake. Sorry about that you just looked like -"</p><p>"Wait! I wanna see that again!" Mabel took Pacifica's bangs in both hands and pulled them back like a curtain on an inspirational spring morning.</p><p>"It's Pacifica!" Said Mabel.</p><p>"What? I'm sorry, what?!" Dipper looked again at the now fully exposed, and visibly paralyzed, face, "Oh my gosh, Pacifica! Its you! I actually, for real didn't recognize you without your makeup. It's good to see you aga - "</p><p>" - What are you doing here?" Mabel said.</p><p>"Oh, me? I um - well..."</p><p>"Yeah, and what was with the voice you were putting on? Is that like a new Greasy's thing or?"</p><p>"Dipper, she said she didn't know us! You were trying to hide from us, weren't you?"</p><p>"No, um. I was just - "</p><p>Mabel leaned in close and leered.</p><p>"Ok! Fine. Fine! I was pretending not to be me because you came in."</p><p>"Why?" said Dipper.</p><p>"Why?! Obviously because this is humiliating! I can't let anyone know I'm here. No one I know can see me like this. And I swear to god if either of you tell a soul that I work here I will bring a private security firm down on you like - "</p><p>"Settle down, man. Your secret is safe with us. Right, Mabel?"</p><p>"Right! Except I'm totally gonna threaten to tell everyone all the time. You know, as like a blackmail thing. But you'll know I'm joking so its okay. Except sometimes I'll take it too far and then you wonder if I really am joking... but I am! But am I...?"</p><p>Pacifica let out a sigh, "Thanks, guys. I guess."</p><p>"If you don't mind me asking, why are you working here? I mean, your family is still kind of rich, aren't they? And what's with you not wearing makeup?"</p><p>"Well, ever since - "</p><p>There was a dull clinking sound as Ron dropped a steaming pile of meats, fries, and grease-wet bread in front of Mabel. The heaving mass of dark temptations threatened to collapse into a singularity of saturated fats and cholesterol at any moment. It was accompanied by a modest chocolate milk shake. Ron then moved to Dipper. He put the pie square down in front of him as any claw machine given the same task would have.</p><p>"Ron! They haven't even paid yet."</p><p>"Such you job. I cooks am."</p><p>"Also, what's his deal?" Dipper asked quietly</p><p>"Didn't you hear him? He cooks am. Anyway, where was I? Right. Ever since the whole You-Know-What happened, things have been hard with my family. We're a one-pony household now. Technically zero ponies at the moment, though."</p><p>"Whaa?! No ponies?" Mabel said</p><p>"Nope. Dad sold my last one. Said he 'made some bad investments,” Pacifica took off her hat, “There's been a lot of that lately."</p><p>She started to fix her hair. The buzz from the faulty wiring felt louder somehow.</p><p>"Dad always had trouble seeing other people as, like, people."</p><p>"No kidding," said Dipper</p><p>"Well, that was fine when he was on top of everything. We were the Northwests. We were more than just people. Who cares if one of us acts like it sometimes? He was content back then. But now? It's like he has something to prove. Its him against the world. He's burning away everything and everyone to try to get our fortune back. Mom won't say anything about it."</p><p>Mabel stuck an anxious fistful of burger meat in her mouth.</p><p>"He took my allowance for it. More 'bad investments,' I guess you could say i'm working here to make up for that, but that's not all of it. He's homeschooling me himself now. It's real Northwest homeschooling, too. The kind that makes you the best at everything and never stops,” Pacfica paused for a breath, but not a long enough one to let the Twins get a word in edgewise, “ I really just needed an excuse to get out of the house for a while. Even if its greasy. Dad didn't want to let me do this, but I promised him that no one would see me on the night shift, and that he'd get a cut of my pay.<br/>
“Oh, and about the makeup thing - remember that monster I brought out that stole Mabel's face? Yeah. Sorry again. Anyway, after that I figured I'd try to focus less on ‘appearances.’ I still wear makeup a lot but I've decided it’s okay to just let my face be my face sometimes."</p><p>Buuuuzzzzz...</p><p>"Except now it’s kind of weird because I was always really proud of my makeup. When I stopped wearing it I didn't know how I was supposed to be happy with that. How do you feel happy when there’s no work involved? It’s not like I'm good at not doing makeup. You can’t ever be good at that. What’s there to be happy about if you’re not proud of yourself?” Pacifica ran a hand over her face, fighting the urge to shut her own mouth with it, “But then I thought maybe ‘happy’ and ‘proud,’ are whole different things.<br/>
“I started to think ‘have ever ever been happy?’ Not proud-happy but just happy-happy. For a while a thought ‘no’ but then I remembered you two. I felt happy-happy, not proud-happy, when I was out breaking things with you guys and getting into trouble with my parents and now I think about you both a lot and I think I need to stop talking right now." Pacifica’s face was gradually, but noticeably, turning red.</p><p>Tink. Tink. Tink.</p><p>"Ok, that got a little heavy. It’s been a long time since I've been able to really talk with someone. So how have you guys been this last year? Say a lot of things about that so we can forget some of the things that I just said."</p><p>"Uhh we're fine. I wish I could help you out there - believe me - but nothing really happens back home. We've been missing this place," said Dipper.</p><p>"Man, this is crazy! You were the last person we expected to run into on our first night back!" said Mabel.</p><p>Pacifica quirked a brow. </p><p>"Not that that’s a bad thing! Hey, when do you get off work?"</p><p>"Six in the morning."</p><p>"Oh, um, do you work tomorrow?"</p><p>"No, actually. I have tomorrow off."</p><p>"We should totally hang out tomorrow then!"</p><p>"I don't know. Don't you guys have other friends you'd rather be seeing on your first day?"</p><p>"If we did, we woulda asked 'em!"</p><p>"Yeah, we'll be visiting for a while. We've got plenty of time for everyone,"</p><p>"Dad wouldn't..."</p><p>Mabel glared intensely at Pacifica. Pacifica took a nervous step back.</p><p>"...what are you doing?"</p><p>Mabel snapped her fingers impatiently at Dipper.</p><p>"Bro! I need some puppy dog eyes from you right now! We're doing good-cop bad-cop here."</p><p>"What? No. I'm not gonna - that's not even what that is anyway."</p><p>"Dipper, I packed a lamb costume for this trip. Do not test me."</p><p>"You wouldn't dare!"</p><p>She shifted her sinister gaze over to Dipper. It was only for a moment, but it was long enough.</p><p>"Okay, okay!"</p><p>Dipper took a position next to Mabel. He folded his hands plaintively in front of his chest, offering a pleading and pathetic face to contrast Mabel's imposing visage.</p><p>Pacifica couldn't help but laugh.</p><p>"I guess Dad wouldn't like anything I did anyway. I'm in."</p><p>"Yeah! What did I tell you, Dipper? Good-cop bad-cop never fails!"</p><p>"That's still not what that is."</p><p>"Pacifica! You better pack a sleeping bag, 'cause we're making this a sleepover!"</p><p>"Sleeping... bag? What's that? It sounds poor.”</p><p>“It is.”</p><p>“Wait, you mean a sleepover at your dirty little mystery barn?"</p><p>"Of course! Where else?!" </p><p>"A five-star hotel, hours away from here?"</p><p>"Psshh, nuh uh! If you wanna roll with the Pines Twins you gotta rough it with us. You gotta live that mystery barn life!"</p><p>"Are we calling it that now? Is that gonna be a thing we do?" Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose.</p><p>"Fine. I'll be there. You two are helping me unpack my things, though."</p><p>"Cool. We'll have more time to catch up then. It’s getting pretty late though, we should get going."</p><p>"Nope." Pacifica held up a hand.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Not before you pay. Such me job. Right, Ron?"</p><p>Everyone looked at Ron in the back. He gave a thumbs up. It was actually his ring finger, broken at the joint and poking through the top of his fist, but the intent was clear.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The intent for this is to be the first of multiple chapters, but the plan is a little fuzzy. Posting it as a standalone for now. That way if this doesn't pan out I can pretend its not unfinished. Aren't I clever?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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